Another 914-6 GT Tribute Project Options

[Tom1394racing]

After having enjoyed several 911’s over the past 40 years, I decided about a year ago that my next project would be a 914-6 GT Tribute car. I had been thinking for some time about a mid-engine open car but the Boxster is just not my cup of tea. I am more of a 70’s air cooled hot rod type and I love my ’73 Signal Orange 911 RSR tribute car. So a 914-6 GT seemed like an obvious choice. It ticked all my boxes and I have always admired the ‘70’s GT race cars.

My friends at Auto Associates in Canton, CT knew I was considering a 914-6 GT project so when a customer’s ’73 914 2.0 became available there last fall we put it up on their lift, took a close look and deemed it an acceptable starting point. The project plan is to follow the same process I have used on my RSR and my ‘70E restoration projects. I strip the car in my home shop, send the shell to Auto Associates for the metal work, chassis stiffening and paint. The painted shell comes back to me and I do the mechanical work and reassembly.

My plan is not to do a 100% accurate GT tribute but rather to build a car that looks, sounds and drives like a street friendly GT. I am not planning on any serious track or autocross but more of a fun spirited street hot rod. I know there is a ton of expertise and experience on this forum so I will be looking for some sage advice as I document the build in this thread. So here are my thoughts:

Exterior
GT flares front and rear. I will likely leave the decision of metal vs FG to Auto Associates. I would like the car to be as light as is practical. I have FG flares on my RSR and they have held up very well over the 15 years since the original restoration. I am also planning to do the lightweight, balsa reinforced front and rear trunk lids. I also would like to do the GT style double grill engine cover. Not sure if anyone makes these or if I will have Auto Associates fabricate one from my existing cover. I will go with the hood pins front and bungees rear for lid closure. Not sure whether to go with the motor operated headlights or if the cable operated system is reliable enough. I do not plan to do a lot of night driving. For wheels, I am thinking Minilites on the rear and Fuchs on the front. I also want to keep the removable top as open air driving is one of my key objectives. I am liking Mexico Blue for the color.

Interior
I plan to go with a 911 steering column and LHS 911 ignition switch as well as 911 turn signal, wiper switches and clamshell. I am also thinking of a reproduction 911 style hockey puck steering wheel. Door panels would be the GT style with strap operated pulls for door opening. I am also thinking of a pair of GTS Classic vintage seats perhaps the LeMans series. Gauges will mimic the GT type.

Drivetrain
I have a 3.0 L SC long block that I plan to use as a basis for power. I am thinking 9.5 CR with ModS type cams and a twin plug distributor. I am also toying with the idea of EFI. I am thinking 200-225 HP. I will stick with the 901 gearbox and the special 215 mm 9 bolt flywheel. I would use 911 output stubs, Sway Away free floating axles, and 911 stubs axles & hubs. I will use a front cooler and oil plumbing similar to the GT. Not sure which option to take with regard to the motor mounts.

Suspension
Other than 911 3.5” caliper spaced front struts, and 911 front hubs, I have not given the suspension much thought as yet. I do not want the car to be so stiff and jarring that it knocks my fillings out on the pothole strewn roads here in CT. That said, I also do not want the car to roll and lean like my stock ‘70E. I like the stock type of front and rear roll bars, maybe a little bigger than the stock size. I am thinking early 911S Aluminum calipers in the front. No sure about the rear calipers. I like the 15” Michelin TB’s for tires.

Chassis Stiffening
Like all 914’s this one is not rust free. After the rust repairs, I am planning to have Auto Associates install the chassis stiffening kits for the front torsion bar area, sills and rear suspension including the rear trailing arms. I am also planning on a weld-in roll bar with diagonals tied into the door sills that will allow for reasonably easy entry and exit. I want the chassis to be as stiff as possible yet still allow for the removable Targa roof.

Well…That is the current plan. I am very interested in suggestions and input from those of you who have been down this road before me. I plan to post progress with photos as I go forward and I look forward to all your comments.

[Tom1394racing]

Some more progress in getting the engine compartment ready. I fit the twin MSD boxes and twin Blaster coils to the inner firewall. I used isolator mounts and a sheet metal mounting plate for the CD boxes. A little cleanup of the mounting hardware and wiring harness and I should be done with this. I tried to replicate the location of the coils to match the location used on most factory GT cars. I decided not to locate the MSD CD boxes inside the passenger compartment as was done on most factory GT cars. I will be going with a cleaner look with sound deadening and carpeting on the inner firewall. Although I have not seen any examples of the CD boxes in this location, I think this will work out well.

Next up on the engine wiring will be the connections of the engine and chassis harnesses.

[Tom1394racing]

I also finished up the oil thermostat plumbing. After several trips back and forth to the local hose fitting supplier, I was finally able to make the plumbing connections to my satisfaction. A couple more Adele clamps I should be finished. The final connections from the tank to the cooler and the engine scavenge to the T-stat will be done when the engine is installed. I am a little concerned about interference during the engine installation. The clearance between the t-stat and the edge of the engine sheet metal looks pretty tight.

[Cairo94507]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif)

[Tom1394racing]

I have finished up the engine to chassis wiring. Just waiting on the MSD twin plug tach adapter and a new voltage regulator.

I listened to the sage advice from several 914 World members and installed a proper 14 pin male adapter on the engine wiring harness. I spliced the voltage regulator D+ wire into the alternator light connection on the 14 pin.



I also completed the wiring harness and installation of the twin MSD boxes and twin coils.



MSD switched power and tach wires in the engine compartment and on the engine.





I had to lengthen the chassis harness grounds in the engine compartment to get the 14 pin in the best location to mate to the engine harness. I plan to mount the voltage regulator in the location indicted by the blue arrow.



Next up I will install the CV's and axles on the trailing arms. After that the engine goes in. Once the engine goes in my plan us to:

1. Run the fuel system, check for leaks and adjust the fuel pressure.
2. Turn the engine over w/o ignition and build oil pressure and check the engine for leaks.
3. Fire the engine, run for 20 min check the battery for charging.

[Tom1394racing]

A few questions before I start the engine install.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=372142

[Tom1394racing]

I completed the engine install yesterday using the suggestions given here:

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=372142

[morehills]

Beautiful. Make sure you give us Ytube link of it coming to life Tom.

[Bullethead]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif) Man, this is looking good!

[Tom1394racing]

I have been working on completing some of the plumbing connections to the engine.

First were the connections from the engine to the T-stat and to the oil tank.





Not real happy with the heat exchanger hose I used. It tore and crushed too easily. I'll have to replace it. I'll need an oil filter and a new battery and then I can crank the engine w/o spark to check for oil pressure and leaks.

I installed the carbs and made the fuel line connections from the carbs to the pressure regulator.





Ready to add some fuel to the tank, run the pump, check for leaks and adjust the fuel pressure.

I also installed the chassis to trailing arm mount link bars.





The heater hose had to "bend" around the around the link bars.

[mepstein]

What about using the pink colored heater hose. That's what traditionally is used in that location. I think it will hold up a lot better than the aluminum.

[Tom1394racing]

What about using the pink colored heater hose. That's what traditionally is used in that location. I think it will hold up a lot better than the aluminum.

Yes, Mark, my thoughts exactly. I wouldn’t call the color pink for the hoses that run from the engine heater ducts into the heat exchangers. It was more of a tan color wasn’t it? Anyway, I’ll be searching for a source to replace those aluminum hoses.

[mepstein]

What about using the pink colored heater hose. That's what traditionally is used in that location. I think it will hold up a lot better than the aluminum.

Yes, Mark, my thoughts exactly. I wouldn’t call the color pink for the hoses that run from the engine heater ducts into the heat exchangers. It was more of a tan color wasn’t it? Anyway, I’ll be searching for a source to replace those aluminum hoses.

Pink, tan, salmon. Idk. My wife calls me colorblind. They have a metal coil and should work better in that location.

[rgalla9146]

The HE outlet to the body should be orange.
The connection from fan housing to HE should be black/grey over aluminum

[Tom1394racing]

The HE outlet to the body should be orange.
The connection from fan housing to HE should be black/grey over aluminum

Thanks guys...I just ordered both.

[Tom1394racing]

Most recent progress...Installed the speedo, clutch, gearbox and accelerator cables and linkages. Did a first pass at adjusting the clutch and accelerator cable/linkages and neatened up the cables. Good news...No interference between the Tangerine shift rod and Ben's heat exchangers with the Mad Dog bulkhead motor mount.

Next up will be the shifter adjustment.

[Tom1394racing]

More progress. Made a first pass at the shifter adjustment. I can get all (6) gears but it is still a bit balky. Needs some fine tuning on the side-to-side location.

I installed the CV/Axle assemblies. A little finicky especially doing it after the engine has been installed. Got lots of good suggestions from members here:

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...=372298&hl=





I ran the fuel system and after fixing some small leaks, I attempted to adjust the fuel pressure. Pressure was running much too high and adjusting the PMO regulator had no impact. I had to lift the fuel tank up out of it's home in the front trunk to discover that the return line was kinked around the sway bar. I re-routed it and reinstalled the tank. This eliminated the restriction and allowed me to set the regulator to 3.5 PSI fuel pressure.

Currently waiting on a new Interstate AGM battery so I can crank the engine over.

[Tom1394racing]

So I ran into a problem today. Cranked the engine over for 30 seconds twice (with no power to the MSD or fuel pumps) to build oil pressure. Checked for leaks and found an oil puddle on the garage floor. The source seems to be the new CSF engine oil cooler.



I did check the cooler internals for leaks before installation and found no problems. With the engine cranking stone cold, there should be no flow through the cooler internals. The only oil flow is from the tank through the large tube on the bottom of the cooler to the engine. That seems to be the source of the leak. So perhaps I forgot to install the rubber seal between the case and the cooler or maybe there is a problem with the cooler?

At any rate, it seems that I will have to remove and check the cooler before moving forward. On a 911 this is not too difficult. I have changed coolers several times with the engine in the car. On the 914-6, it looks like the LHS heat exchanger needs to come off to remove the cooler with the engine in the car.

Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.

[mepstein]

We had a defective CSF cooler. Had to ship the car back to us and then ship back to the customer. CFS warrantied the cooler but we ate $2k in shipping.

[troth]

We had a defective CSF cooler. Had to ship the car back to us and then ship back to the customer. CFS warrantied the cooler but we ate $2k in shipping.

Geez that is not cool for how much those coolers cost. I just bought one as well. Sounds like it's worth leak testing before install.

[Tom1394racing]

We had a defective CSF cooler. Had to ship the car back to us and then ship back to the customer. CFS warrantied the cooler but we ate $2k in shipping.

Mark

Do you know if the replacement cooler from CSF was good and where the original leaked from?

Any knowledge or experience replacing the cooler with the engine in the car?